A Simple Love With A Complex Touch
by lilac-girl1
Summary: A 'what if?' story w/ a twist ending. Satine doesn't die and she and Christian leave Paris. The Duke chases after them and dogs their every step. But is everything really as it seems?
1. Prologue

A/N: This is my first fanfiction of any sort, so I'm sorry if I've violated a sacred unwritten rule or anything. Anyway, this is kind of an alternative ending fiction, though with a twist ending. I apologize if anyone's done this idea before, but I think this is pretty original. Definitely worth a read, I'd say. I apologize in advance for the corny parts. :-P  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Moulin Rouge, or Christian, Satine, Zidler, Toulouse, the Duke, his bodyguard, etc. I don't even own the title; I blatantly ripped it off from a Maroon5 song. Everything you don't recognize, though, is mine. Yes indeedily.  
  
  
  
Moulin Rouge, 1900  
  
The curtain fell and the last of the rose petals fluttered to the ground. I could hardly contain my excitement and I didn't even bother to try to hold back the grin. I'd never been so happy before. Satine had only chosen the Duke in an attempt to save me. She really DID love me. Now we could leave this horrible place and share a real life with each other. Together.  
  
My arm was around Satine and I squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. She looked more beautiful then I'd ever seen her before. I flashed her a grin and she reflected it back shakily. I was too ecstatic to notice that the emotion on her face wasn't happiness. I kissed her briefly and looked around.  
  
The stage was covered in red and white rose petals that had fallen during the finale of 'Spectacular, Spectacular'. It was dark, but I could see Toulouse in his sitar costume on the other side of the stage. I grinned brilliantly at him. I couldn't stop smiling.  
  
A stagehand clapped twice as he walked by. "Stand by for curtain call!" He yelled. "Dancers, positions please!"  
  
Satine's sudden gasp cut through the air like a knife. It wasn't loud, but it silenced everyone behind the curtain. I turned to her to see what was wrong; not quite comprehending what was happening. She sagged against me and started to fall. Numbly, I grabbed her and I knelt down towards the ground.  
  
She started coughing uncontrollably, and worry started to cloud my thoughts. What was this? This wasn't right. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. We were supposed to be together forever. Now Satine was sick. Something was wrong, VERY wrong. I could feel it.  
  
When I spotted the blood that was trickling from her mouth, it finally hit me. This wasn't right. I stared numbly at the blood for a moment, then screamed at the top of my lungs, "SOMEONE GET SOME HELP!!!!!"  
  
*****  
  
Several days later I sat by Satine's bedside, clutching her pale hand as if I let go she'd disappear forever. I'd already almost lost her once; I wasn't about to take that chance again. "Are you sure she's going to be okay?" I asked the doctor.  
  
He nodded, looking somewhat amused at my concern. "Yes, Monsieur Christian. She will be fine. It was just a little fainting spell brought on by too much work."  
  
Satine laughed. "I told everyone those silly costumes would get to me eventually." I smiled without amusement. Her lack of concern over the whole issue was a bit worrying. "What about the blood?" I asked. "She coughed up blood."  
  
"It was just a little internal bleeding. Perhaps Mademoiselle Satine took a rather bad fall recently? In any case, it's nothing to worry about. We've fixed her right up."  
  
I sighed with relief and looked over at Satine. She was still pale and looked unnaturally fragile. I wasn't used to seeing her this way. I hoped that I would never have to again.  
  
She caught my worried glance and winked conspiratorially, then giggled. I made a face and she laughed. "You're sure it was nothing? I've worked much harder than I did for Spectacular, Spectacular and I've never fainted before."  
  
The doctor's face broke out into a grin. "Well, Mademoiselle Satine, that's because there are special circumstances..."  
  
I panicked immediately. "Special circumstances?! But you said she would be fine!" I struggled to control my fear. Think happy thoughts, Christian. Don't panic. Think happy thoughts.  
  
"Well, Mademoiselle Satine, you're pregnant." The doctor said bluntly.  
  
My jaw dropped open. "P...pregnant?!" I stuttered. "A...are you sure?!" I looked over at Satine, who was smiling tiredly, then back at the doctor. "You're sure?? Absolutely positive?!"  
  
He laughed and nodded. "Yes, absolutely positive. That's why Mademoiselle Satine collapsed opening night. The rigorous work was too much for her in her delicate condition."  
  
Satine snorted. "I'll have you know I'm in no sort of 'delicate condition.' I can assure you that my baby will be as tough as I am... two nights ago was just a freak accident." She smiled wryly.  
  
The doctor laughed and looked at me. "Congratulations, Monsieur. Make sure you take care of her, though. Mademoiselle Satine needs plenty of bed rest. No more rigorous days like she's been working." He clapped a hand down on my back and laughed. "Congratulations again!" He called as he left the room.  
  
I looked down at Satine and grinned. She smiled back. "This is so great!" I said, and all the words started coming out in a rush. "We're together, and we're going to have a family... I'm so happy! I can't wait... what are we going to name him? What if it's a girl? We need to find somewhere else to live, my apartment won't be a place for a child to grow up..."  
  
Someone tapped at the door and interrupted my rambling. I turned to see Harold Zidler standing in the doorway, a solemn expression on his face.  
  
"Harold!" Satine cried happily from her bed. "How wonderful to see you! I was wondering when you would come by to visit me." She opened her arms for a hug.  
  
Harold smiled and went over to hug his Sparking Diamond. Correction: his ex Sparking Diamond. "It's good to see my little sparrow alive and well." He said. The usual musical lilt in his voice was gone. I wondered what was going on. Was something wrong?  
  
"What's wrong, Harold?" Satine asked, apparently reading Zidler's body language the same way I was. "Please, do sit down." She gestured to the chair I had occupied until I stood up to say goodbye to the doctor.  
  
Zidler sank into the chair and I leaned against the wall across from him. There was a moment of tense silence until Zidler spoke. "It's the Duke." He finally sighed. "He won't give back the deeds to the Moulin Rouge."  
  
Satine and I exchanged a worried look. "What does this have to do with us?" I asked. "Satine doesn't work for the Moulin Rouge anymore. I thought we'd made this clear."  
  
Zidler cast a mournful look my way, then looked back at Satine. "He won't give you up, chickpea. He's gone mad. He wants both you and Christian dead, and he's already made it clear to me that he's never going to give up looking for you two. He wants to make you as miserable as you made him."  
  
I closed my eyes and squeezed my eyelids shut, trying to block out what Zidler had said. No, it was impossible. How big an idiot was the Duke? Anyone could plainly see she didn't love him. Why did he insist on continuing down this STUPID path?  
  
"The baby..." Satine whispered, her voice lined with fright.  
  
"The baby?" Zidler asked, confused.  
  
I sighed and opened my eyes. "The reason Satine collapsed onstage during opening night was because she's pregnant. She's going to have a baby."  
  
Zidler looked from me to Satine. "You two can't stay here. It's not safe here anymore, and it never will be. Go as soon as you're able. Leave Montmartre, leave Paris, leave France if you must."  
  
As I started collecting Satine's things that had been brought from the Moulin Rouge, Satine spoke. "Harold, what will you do?"  
  
"Don't worry about me, chickpea. I'll stall the Duke for as long as I can, but you and Christian need to get away from here as soon as possible. Understood?"  
  
"Of course." There was a moment of silence, and then Satine spoke again. This time she was crying. I could tell even though I wasn't looking at her. "Harold... you done so much for me. Taken care of me all these years... I... I don't know how to thank you, I guess."  
  
I saw Zidler smile warmly when I turned around to scan the room for anything I might have missed. "Just stay safe, chickpea." He said quietly. The three of us stood silent for a few moments.  
  
"Well," Zidler said, breaking the silence. "You two lovebirds must get going."  
  
Holding Satine's suitcase, I helped her out of bed. She hugged Zidler and said thank you and goodbye once again before heading to the door. Zidler and I shook hands. "Thank you for telling us." I said quietly.  
  
He nodded. "Just take care of her, Christian, okay? Take care of her." 


	2. Chapter One

Switzerland, 1906  
  
Reclining in an outdoor lounge chair, I watched our six-year-old daughter Madeline chase a butterfly. She looked almost exactly like her mother; her long, fiery-red hair trailed behind her as she ran around, and even though I couldn't see her eyes, I knew they were dancing with laughter. Just like Satine's did when she laughed.  
  
She giggled and yelled, "Look, Papa! I almost caught it!"  
  
"Good for you, sweetie!" I called back. "Try harder, maybe you'll catch him next time!"  
  
Satine chuckled as she walked up behind me and gave me a kiss. "Think she'll ever catch it?" She asked as she sat down on the lounge chair next to me. She held a glass of lemonade in one hand.  
  
I laughed as I took her hand and absentmindedly played with her fingers. "Of course not. I wonder why the thing doesn't just fly away, though..."  
  
She laughed and we spoke about various topics for a little while before falling silent. My mind wandered, and as it frequently did, my thoughts returned back to six years ago, and how Satine and I had gotten to where we are.  
  
After fleeing Paris, Satine and I had gone to my father's house to stay. My mother accepted us with open arms, and my father grudgingly followed her example. Under his breath, though, I could hear him muttering various comments about me wasting my life with a can-can dancer. We hadn't stayed long.  
  
We lived in the English country for little less than three years before moving on. Satine had come running to me one day, two-year-old Maddy in her arms, hysterically screaming that she'd seen the Duke's bodyguard in the market. Fearing for both our lives, along with Madeline's, we fled. Yet again.  
  
After much debate, we finally relocated to Switzerland, neither of us missing the irony. Spectacular, Spectacular had originally been set in Switzerland. We figured it would be a good tribute to remind us of how we'd met and were brought together, and it was as good a place as any to stay out of the Duke's way. After all, who would ever really WANT to move to Switzerland?  
  
We currently resided in a majestic, out-of-the-way hotel called The Mountain View Hotel. The place was aptly named, for it was built not more than twenty feet from the start of a mountain range. The hotel was large and very well decorated; Satine and I paid our rent using money from my trust fund until I could find a job.  
  
Satine's laugh brought me back to reality. She was giggling at Maddy, who had apparently just performed some comedic act that I had missed. "Maddy, honey, it's time for your nap!" Satine yelled after catching a glance at my pocket watch. Obediently, our daughter abandoned her game of Chase the Butterfly and ran towards us. "Do I have to, Mama?" She whined.  
  
"Of course you have to," I said. "You don't want to be falling asleep at dinner, do you?"  
  
Satine handed me her lemonade as she stood up and scooped Maddy up in her arms. "We certainly don't want that happening!" Satine exclaimed, as if the very idea shocked and appalled her.  
  
Maddy giggled. "You mean I'd fall asleep in my soup?"  
  
Satine and I laughed. "You probably would," Satine agreed. "That wouldn't be good at all."  
  
"No, it wouldn't!" Maddy wholeheartedly agreed. "Because then the soup would get up your nose and every time you sneezed you would sneeze vegetable soup!!" She nodded solemnly.  
  
Satine grinned. "She's certainly got your imagination, Christian..." she informed me as she and Maddy turned and walked towards the hotel.  
  
I smiled and sat back. I took a sip of the lemonade and then set it down in the shade of my chair. I laid back and closed my eyes. I hummed a song under my breath.  
  
"Hey, Christian, what are you up to out here?" A familiar voice asked. I opened my eyes to see someone standing over me. I shielded my eyes from the sun so I could see Dr. Peter Lafollette grinning mischievously.  
  
"Not much," I said, and smiled. "Satine and I were watching Madeline chase a butterfly earlier. The two went to go take naps, though. I'm all alone out here."  
  
"Mind if I join you?"  
  
"Of course not!" I gestured to the lounge chair that Satine had just vacated. Peter was the first person I had met when Satine, Maddy and I had moved into Mountain View. He lived on the first floor, and he was one of my only friends. Well... my only friend, to be true. Satine and I had to keep secret so the Duke wouldn't find us, so we hadn't met many people.  
  
Peter sat down and made himself comfortable. "So what have you been doing recently? I haven't seen you in a week or two."  
  
I shrugged. "Not much. Maddy's seventh birthday is coming up in a few weeks, so Satine and I have been planning something special for her."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
I nodded. "She's growing up so fast... I can still remember when we found out that Satine was pregnant." I chuckled at the memory.  
  
"When did that happen?"  
  
"Just after the opening night of 'Spectacular, Spectacular'." Peter was one of a very few number of people who knew what Satine and I had done before we moved to exotic Switzerland. "She collapsed onstage, just after the finale. She was taken to the hospital and we found out a few days later." I smiled at the memory, though it was only bittersweet because of the news Zidler had brought moments later.  
  
Peter nodded and was silent for a moment. "Do you and Satine ever talk about that day?"  
  
"We used to. Not much anymore. She'd rather forget about the Moulin Rouge and everything that went along with it."  
  
"Would you rather forget about it?"  
  
I smiled and shook my head. "Of course not. Those were our best times together; when we'd sit on top of the giant elephant and sing to each other." I chuckled. My gift is my song...  
  
"Do you miss those days?" Peter gently pressed me.  
  
I didn't answer for almost a minute. The few weeks I'd spent at the Moulin Rouge I treasured and held very, very close to my heart. "I do. I would give anything to be back in those days..."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because Satine and I were young. MADLY in love. I was naive and still believed everything to be right with the world... the Duke destroyed a part of that, I guess. Living in constant fear, always having to look over your shoulder. All that stuff." I shrugged again. "But at least now we don't have to hide our love. She doesn't have to pretend to be with anyone else because she's with me. And that's the most important thing to us."  
  
*****  
  
That evening, after dinner, I walked into our suite to hear Satine softly singing our daughter to sleep. "My gift is my song, and this one's for you..." she sang. I smiled and listened as I undressed. "I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind..."  
  
"What a wonderfully original song!" I said when she came into the room a few minutes later. "Did you write that? It's absolutely breathtaking!"  
  
She laughed and rolled her eyes. "You silly..." She gave me a little punch as she climbed into bed.  
  
We talked a few minutes until she turned the lamp off and laid down to sleep. Something was on my mind, though, and I wanted to know her answer. I reached over and turned the lamp back on. "Do you miss it?"  
  
"Mmm? Miss what?" She was near sleep.  
  
"Six years ago. The Moulin Rouge. All that."  
  
She opened one eye and looked at me skeptically. "Not really. Why do you ask?"  
  
I shrugged. "Peter was asking me about it earlier and I wondered if you missed it. All the attention, the outrageous amount of money and diamonds floating around, being an actress. I just wondered."  
  
She sighed and propped herself on an elbow to better look at me. "I don't miss anything about it, Christian. The glamour came with a high price, one that I hated paying. I'm much happier here, where people love me." She smiled reassuringly and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. As I pulled her into my arms all my doubts vanished and I wondered why I'd ever questioned her. 


	3. Chapter Two

Several weeks later...  
  
"Happy birthday to yoooou!" Satine and I sang the grand finale. Maddy grinned gleefully in front of a chocolate birthday cake adorned with seven candles. She applauded for our duet, then, with a determined look on her face, blew out the candles, getting every one of them.  
  
"Okay. Now we have to cut the cake. I'm hungry." She demanded.  
  
Satine laughed as she grabbed a knife and started cutting the circular cake into pieces. "Whatever your highness wants, birthday girl." She winked.  
  
I handed Satine a plate that she dropped a gigantic piece of cake onto. "That's yours," she said matter-of-factly to Maddy.  
  
She grinned. "I suspected as much! Can I have a fork, Papa?"  
  
I nodded as I gave her the plate. "Of course. But you can't eat it until the rest of us get a slice." I handed out forks and napkins after Satine had finished cutting slices and we all dug in. We were seated outside, on a picnic blanket. Maddy loved the outdoors, so naturally that was where we were going to spend her special day.  
  
As soon as she was finished eating, Maddy tossed her plate aside and went to go play in the grove of trees about 100 feet away. Satine and I sat and watched her disappear. "Don't go too far!" Satine cried after her.  
  
"She's not listening to you," I laughed.  
  
Satine laughed as well. "Yeah, I know. But it's probably best to let her run around for awhile to get all that extra sugar out of her system. I do NOT want to have to deal with an antsy child at dinner. We get enough weird looks as it is..."  
  
Almost ten minutes later I realized I couldn't hear Maddy's laughter anymore. Satine noticed it at about the same time as well. "Maddy?" I called nervously. "Maddy, are you there?"  
  
No answer.  
  
Satine and I were on our feet in an instant, running as fast as we possibly could to get to the grove, screaming Maddy's name. I got there first since Satine was hampered by a dress. I immediately started searching, trying not to acknowledge what could be happening. 'No, no, not the Duke... he couldn't have found us..'. I thought. 'Not here, not now... let her be safe. Please, god, let her be safe...'  
  
I could swear on the Bible I felt my world shatter as Satine screamed. My knees went weak and I grabbed a tree for support. Dear god, no... I stumbled off to find Satine.  
  
I almost tripped over her. She was lying on the ground, sobbing. A quick visual scan told me she was all right. And there was Maddy, in her arms. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. My knees turned into jelly and I sank down next to them. "What happened?"  
  
Satine sniffled and hugged Maddy, who looked very, very confused. "What's going on?" She asked. "Are you two okay?"  
  
Satine had managed to compose herself a little. She sniffled and wiped away the tears. "Christian, he's here. They've found us. HE'S found us." 


	4. Chapter Three

When Satine could speak again she said she'd been running through the trees, calling for Maddy. Then she spotted her, giggling with a man who looked EXACTLY like the Duke's bodyguard. "He told me we were going to play hide and seek with you guys," Maddy explained. "That's why he said I wasn't allowed to yell back when you guys called my name." She nodded.  
  
"But that's not the worst part, Christian," Satine interrupted. "He saw me before he ran away. And he said 'this is just a warning.' Just a warning, Christian! The Duke is coming back! He's going to come and kill all of us..." She broke into tears again.  
  
I pulled her into an embrace, trying to lend her some comfort that I didn't possess. "It's okay, Satine. It's okay. We're all safe; we're all together."  
  
She shook her head violently. "No, we're not, Christian. Haven't you heard me?! The Duke's coming back to kill Maddy, you, me, all of us! We're not SAFE, Christian! Don't you understand that?!"  
  
I nodded. "Yes, I do, Satine. But panicking isn't going to solve anything, okay? We need to calm down and figure out what to do. Okay?" I looked for a signal that she understood. She sniffled and nodded a little. "Okay. Now, you and Maddy go back to our room and start packing, okay? I'll take care of things down here. Ask around to see if anyone's seen the Duke or his bodyguard." I hugged her tightly and whispered into her ear. "Come what may..."  
  
She sniffled again and took a moment to regain her composure. "Come what may," she whispered in reply. We looked at each other for a moment, then she kissed me and hurriedly took off with Maddy towards the hotel. I watched them leave, then looked around for someone to talk to.  
  
Nobody was on the grounds, so I ran to the hotel. When I turned inside I ran into someone. I looked up to see Peter, looking at me quite surprised.  
  
"Christian!" He said. "I've been looking for you! Where have you been?"  
  
"Outside. Maddy's birthday was today." I said vaguely. "Listen, Peter, I need to ask you something. Maddy was almost kidnapped a few minutes ago. Satine said she saw the Duke's bodyguard running away. Have you seen anyone strange around here lately?" I gave him a brief description of the Duke and hi bodyguard.  
  
Peter frowned. "No, Christian, I'm sorry. I haven't seen anyone strange around here lately."  
  
I sighed and found myself involuntarily scanning the room, something I'd done compulsively the years immediately following our flight from Paris. I was looking for the Duke. Was he here? Right now? Was he watching me, waiting for me to make a mistake so he could kill me? A horrible thought. I tried to shove it out of my mind, but it only made room for a worse thought; was he watching Satine?  
  
"I need to go, Peter." I tried to shove past him, but Peter was a large man and could not be easily moved. "I need to go make sure Satine and Maddy are okay."  
  
"Christian," Peter sighed. "What are you planning to do? Do you even know for sure that the Duke's chasing you? It's been almost seven years; nobody can hold a grudge that long."  
  
"You've never met the Duke..." I muttered, and tried to get past him once again. "Peter, let me go. I need to go make sure my family's okay." He grabbed my forearms and held me tightly. I froze and looked up at him. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Christian, where would you go if you left? You don't even know for sure that the Duke's here. You could be running away for nothing. Satine could have just thought she'd seen the Duke's bodyguard. We don't know for sure. You could just be overreacting."  
  
"But what if I'm not?" I said in exasperation. "What if she DID see him? And what if we don't take it seriously and stay here. We'd be sitting ducks, Peter! You can't guarantee that the Duke ISN'T out there waiting for us!"  
  
"And you can't guarantee that he is waiting for you!" Peter said sharply. He sighed and spoke in a softer tone. "Listen, you don't know for sure either way, okay? So why don't you just wait and see, okay? Wait and see what happens. Keep an eye and an ear open and if anything else happens you can come talk to me, okay? I'll alert the staff, okay? If I see anything I will tell you."  
  
"But what about Maddy? She was almost kidnapped, Peter. We can't stay here. The Duke may know what room we're in."  
  
He shrugged. "All right, we'll get you a new room, okay?"  
  
I nodded and numbly walked away. Peter didn't seem to be taking this seriously enough. Our lives were in danger, and he didn't seem the least bit worried. Paranoid thoughts began to creep into my brain. Is he in on the scheme to kill us? Does he know the Duke? How else would the Duke have been able to find us way out here in the middle of nowhere? Someone had to have ratted us out...  
  
I shook my head to try and knock the thoughts out. No, of course not. Peter wasn't in on anything. He was just a skeptic. He WAS a doctor of psychology, after all. Maybe what he said was true. Maybe Satine imagined it. Maybe that's why he wasn't worried. He'd know more about paranoia than I would.  
  
My worry still didn't leave, however. 


	5. Chapter Four

Three days later...  
  
I sat up in bed with a loud gasp. It was night, probably around one a.m. We were in the new room that Peter had arranged for us; on the third floor, all the way across the hotel from our previous room. It had been three days since Maddy's birthday, and neither the Duke nor his minions had been spotted.  
  
I realized I was covered in a cold sweat; the dream had disturbed me that much. Not sure if the dream had been real or not, I felt for Satine's hand. When I found it I grasped it tightly and tried to catch my breath. She was still here. It had all been a dream. Calm down, Christian.  
  
"Christian?" Satine's voice was clouded with sleep. "Christian, darling, what's wrong?" She sat up and looked at me, concerned. "Is everything okay?"  
  
I swallowed and nodded. "Yes... everything's okay. It was just a bad dream." Just a bad dream. Then why am I so scared?  
  
Satine put an arm around me. "What was it about?"  
  
I closed my eyes and sighed. "I had a dream that we were back at the Moulin Rouge and it was our last night there. You know, the night of Spectacular, Spectacular. The night you collapsed. I... I dreamed that you didn't just collapse. You DIED. You really weren't pregnant with Maddy, you just died. And no one could save you, no one even tried." I stopped to compose myself. "You were telling me about how cold you were... and how I needed to tell our story so that way you'd always be with me. And then you just... died."  
  
"Oh, no." She hugged me. "It's okay, Christian. It was just a bad dream, okay? I'm not dead. Everything's just fine. We're not at the Moulin Rouge anymore, and we're still together. I'm still here, right by your side. Just like I'll always be. Okay?"  
  
I nodded. It was a silly dream. I don't even know why I dreamed the whole thing up. The idea was absurd. I shouldn't still be having nightmares about things that happened six years ago. Things that didn't even HAPPEN. I was being an idiot.  
  
"Everything's okay..." Satine said again. "You didn't lose me, Christian. I'm still here." She smiled reassuringly. "Why don't we just lay down to sleep again, okay? It's too early to be awake." She took hold of my hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "I'm still here."  
  
*****  
  
"Have you seen anything from the Duke lately?" Peter asked me the next day over lunch.  
  
I shook my head. "Nope. Nothing since Maddy's birthday. He's probably just biding his time, though. Wants us to be on edge."  
  
"Have you been on edge?"  
  
I nodded. "I've been having these nightmares about losing Satine lately." I told him about my most recent one. "I know it was just a dream, but it felt so real. I couldn't stop shaking when I woke up. I haven't been so panicked since Satine went into the hospital six years ago." I shook my head. "I must be going insane."  
  
Peter stayed silent while I continued rambling. "I don't know why I've been having such thoughts; they're so morbid. I guess I'm just afraid of losing Satine forever. Who wouldn't be afraid of losing their soul mate? But I don't know why I'm worried about this stuff. I don't want to think about losing Satine..."  
  
"But what if you did lose her, Christian?" Peter asked. "There's going to come a time when you two are old, and there's a chance that she could die first. What are you going to do then?"  
  
I shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. I don't know if I'll be able to handle it. Personally, I don't want to know what will happen if she dies." I put my fork down and folded my napkin. "I don't really feel like talking about this anymore." I shoved my chair back and stomped out of the dining room.  
  
I ran into Satine on my way up to our room. She was crying.  
  
"Christian," she sobbed. "I saw him!"  
  
"What do you mean?" I asked. "Have you seen him? Where is he? Where's Maddy?" I hugged her.  
  
"He's trying to kill us, Christian! He's gone mad! He's living in his own fantasy world. He thinks we could still be together; he wants to take me to Paris to become his mistress..." She sobbed. "I was walking outside when he came up behind me and put his hand over my mouth. He tried to drag me away but I fought him off... If we'd left three days ago this wouldn't have happened. Why did you make us stay here, Christian? Why? You're putting us in danger!!!"  
  
She'd started to back away from me. "You knew what he was going to do! You knew he was going to try to kill us, yet you made us stay in this damn hotel anyway! Why, Christian, why?!" She was shouting now.  
  
"I don't know, Satine!" I said. "Peter told me that we'd be safe here..."  
  
"Safe?!" She yelled. "We're safe?! He found us, Christian! This place isn't safe anymore! This is the most dangerous place for us to be right now! We have to leave!"  
  
I nodded in agreement, but she kept yelling. "If we'd left when I wanted to, the Duke wouldn't have tried to kidnap me, Christian! If we hadn't stayed here we'd be safe now! But you made us stay! You made us stay! You put us all in danger!!!"  
  
Her words stung. She was accusing me of deliberately putting my family in danger. That I'd MEANT to hurt them. Of course I didn't mean to do that. It had been a mistake. I'd trusted Peter when he said that we'd be safe here. It wasn't MY fault; it was Peter's.  
  
Satine rushed past me and down the hall. She wouldn't stop when I'd called after her. 


	6. Chapter Five

Two hours later...  
  
I climbed up the stairs slowly. I was all but dragging myself down the hall to our room. Satine's words had cut deep and I'd spent the last few hours nursing my wounds in the bar. But now it was time to face her, to figure out what we were going to do. I had to do it SOMETIME.  
  
As I reached the door to our room, I slipped my key into the lock and turned. I opened the door to find Satine sitting on the bed, not moving. Her back was to me, but she turned to see who had just entered. Her eyes were red and she sniffled and gave me a half-hearted smile. "Hello," she said quietly.  
  
I closed the door quietly and leaned against it. "Hi," I replied, just as quietly. "Is it okay to come in? You're not going to throw daggers at me or anything?"  
  
She smiled and shook her head. "No." She paused and dabbed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Christian. I didn't mean to yell at you. It was just... I was... I don't know. I was angry and scared. I didn't mean what I said. Really. Forgive me?"  
  
Crossing the room, I sat down on the bed next to her and put an arm around her shoulders. "You're forgiven," I said as I pulled her close. She rested her head on my shoulder and dabbed at her eyes again. "I shouldn't have listened to Peter in the first place, it was a stupid thing to do. We should've left the second we realized the Duke had found us. Peter just sounded so convincing..."  
  
"It's okay," she took one of my hands in hers and squeezed reassuringly. "Life is full of mistakes, and we all make them. We've still got time to fix everything, so let's just forget it, okay?"  
  
I nodded, trying to keep my own tears from spilling down my face. "Okay. Where's Maddy?"  
  
"She's still at school. I was thinking we should pack up here, check out, and then pick her up on our way out of here."  
  
"That's a good plan." I said, glad somebody had already considered all of this. "So... I suppose we should get started."  
  
She smiled. "Yes, we probably should." Neither of us moved, however.  
  
"Christian," Satine said after a moment. "I'm scared."  
  
"So am I, Satine," I said as I pulled her into a hug. "So am I. But where would we be if we let that stop us? I was scared to talk to you the night we met, but I did anyway. And I was deathly afraid of going to see you on opening night, but it's good I did, right?"  
  
She smiled and laughed a little. "Yeah, I suppose you're right." She kissed me on the cheek and pulled away and sighed. "Well. Let's get started, then."  
  
*****  
  
Ninety minutes later, I was all but skipping down the stairs of Mountain View to the lobby. All's well that ends well, right? Everything between Satine and myself was back to normal. We were almost ready to leave; I was going to check out and Satine was upstairs packing the last of our things. We would pick Maddy up when she got out of school and leave. The Duke wouldn't know where we'd gone; as far as he'd be concerned, we will have vanished into thin air. And that was exactly what we wanted.  
  
"Hello," I said cheerily as I walked up to the front desk.  
  
"Hello, Christian." The man at the front desk greeted me. "How are you today?"  
  
"I'm good. Better than I've been in awhile." I smiled warmly. "I'd be interested in checking out today. And could we do this as quickly as possible? Satine and I are in a hurry."  
  
The clerk stared at me blankly for a moment. "Pardon?" He asked. "I don't seem to understand..."  
  
I sighed and repeated myself. The man seemed to get a little worried, but finally managed to answer me. "Uhm... okay... This may take me awhile, Christian. You... you've been with us so long that it may take awhile to... ah... calculate your bill. Will you excuse me for a moment?" He didn't wait for me to answer. Instead he disappeared to a back room and closed the door behind him.  
  
After I had waited several minutes, I wondered if something had gone wrong. Checking out of a hotel shouldn't be this complicated, should it? Something wasn't right...  
  
I turned to see Satine enter the lobby. She was carrying a small satchel, and she waved with her free hand. She smiled broadly and started walking towards me.  
  
A flicker of movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention. I turned to see three men from hotel security enter the lobby from the front door. They glanced briefly at me and then fanned out. I wondered what was going on and turned back to Satine.  
  
A gasp caught in my throat. The Duke had entered the lobby the way Satine had come in, and was now glaring possessively at Satine. A glimmer of something under his jacket caught my eye, and I belatedly recognized it as a gun.  
  
The Duke caught me looking at him, and he started to reach towards the gun. I screamed to get Satine's attention and started running towards her, hoping to get to her before the Duke pulled out the gun.  
  
I never made it, though. I was suddenly tackled and thrown to the ground. I landed hard, and with an "Oof!" the air was knocked out of me. I wheezed and coughed, and tried to see who had jumped me.  
  
"Christian!" Satine's scream ripped through the air. I looked up to see her staring at me in panic, the satchel dropped and forgotten on the floor. The Duke was walking up fast behind her, but she started to move towards me.  
  
"Satine!!!" I screamed. "The Duke! He's right-"  
  
"Shut up, you," the person who'd tackled me said. I turned to see it was one of the security guards who had me pinned to the ground. I struggled to get free.  
  
"No, you don't understand!" I yelled. "You've got the wrong person! You need to help Satine! Get the Duke! Not me!" I managed to throw the man off of me and scramble up. I ran to Satine and the Duke.  
  
One of the other security guards threw himself at me, but I didn't fall so easy this time. I was dragged to my knees, but I refused to give up. The Duke now had Satine in an armlock, and he was pointing the gun to her head. He was laughing cruelly as he watched my struggle.  
  
Another security guard stepped in my way, obscuring my view. Together, he and the man that had thrown himself at me dragged me to my feet. My hands were being held behind my back, and I kicked, screamed, and generally caused as much trouble as I possibly could.  
  
As I was being dragged off, I caught a glimpse of Satine. She was causing about as much trouble as I was. The Duke was still holding the gun to her head, and with one arm around her waist he was dragging her off. She screamed my name and tried to resist, but he was apparently quite strong for a puny man. She reached out to me with one hand, even though we were too far apart to reach.  
  
"Satine!" I screamed and managed to get one arm free. We reached to grab hold of each other, but neither of us could break free. 


	7. Epilogue

Christian woke up slowly. His mind was fogged and he had a hard time remembering where he was. After several minutes, however, he remembered the scene in the hotel. Immediately he tensed and tried unsuccessfully to sit up. He lifted his head up and realized he was tied to a bed.  
  
"What the.?" He asked, looking around. The room he was in had the same layout as his hotel room, but amazingly dull. The furnishings were gone, except for the bed, which was stripped bare except for a sheet. The fireplace had disappeared, and the windows were stripped of their curtains. The rugs had disappeared, leaving bare concrete floors. The expensive wall paint and paintings were gone, and the whole room was rather depressing. It reminded him somewhat of a.  
  
"Christian?" Peter interrupted. He stood up and dragged a chair over to Christian's bedside. "How're you feeling?" He asked as he sat down again.  
  
Christian blinked several times. "I. why am I tied up? What's going on? Why's everything changed? Is Satine okay? Maddy? Peter, what's going on?"  
  
Peter sighed and looked around. "So you see all of this? You're not in the hotel?"  
  
"Of course I see all this. I'm not blind. Now what's going on? Why am I tied up?"  
  
"You're being restrained for your own safety." For the first time, Christian realized Peter was wearing a white doctor's coat. Was he at a hospital? The Duke hadn't shot him, had he? "There's a lot that needs explaining, so if you'll just listen to me for a few minutes I'll try to do the best I can, okay?" Peter said soothingly.  
  
Christian nodded. "Before you start, is Satine okay? What about Maddy? I'll be quiet once you tell me where they are."  
  
Peter ignored him. "Six years ago, after you left the Moulin Rouge, you went back to your parents house, right? Well, your dad brought you here several years ago because he was a bit. worried. You hadn't dealt with what happened at the Moulin Rouge in a. normal way. You were having delusions, and they were getting more and more frequent. Your parents were worried, and rightfully so."  
  
Confused, Christian's eyebrows knit together. "What do you mean, 'delusions'?"  
  
"Your delusions were about Satine." Christian felt as if he'd been physically struck. "You would have these periods where you'd act as if Satine was there with you. Your parents say that after awhile you began believing that you and Satine had a child.  
  
"When you became paranoid about the Duke coming after you, your parents became very concerned. It was then when your father brought you here." Peter paused, trying to gauge Christian's reaction. "This isn't a hotel, Christian. It's a mental hospital."  
  
At first he didn't understand. It was too much. Why would he be in a mental hospital? There was nothing wrong with him. This had to be a dream. It couldn't be true. "No. you're lying. This is some trick the Duke is playing on me. This is how he's gotten rid of me, isn't it?"  
  
Peter shook his head sadly, and somehow Christian knew. He sat in shock for a few seconds, then blinked and looked up at Peter. "W. what about Satine?" He asked shakily.  
  
"You remember that dream you had last night?" Christian nodded slowly. "That wasn't a dream, Christian. It was one of your lucid moments. You were remembering what actually happened."  
  
Christian's heart jumped into his throat and he felt physically sick. Tears sprang to his eyes and he felt his lower lip quivering. "And Maddy?"  
  
"She never existed."  
  
He wished he wasn't tied down. He wanted to curl up and shut the world out. It was too much. Satine couldn't be dead. He'd been there. She hadn't died on the stage, she'd just passed out. She couldn't have left him. It wasn't possible. The last six years couldn't have been a lie. he couldn't be delusional. Peter was lying. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block everything out.  
  
"Christian? Christian, don't leave me," Peter said, alarm creeping into his voice. He was loosing Christian again. He was disappearing into one of his delusions again. "Christian, don't leave us. Stay with me, come on." He said urgently. He gently slapped Christian's cheeks, willing him to open his eyes.  
  
After a moment, Christian's face relaxed and his pained expression disappeared. Peter sighed and sat back in his chair. He'd lost him again. He watched a smile appear on Christian's face and cursed softly.  
  
*****  
  
I felt someone sit on the bed and I opened my eyes slowly. Satine was sitting by my side, Maddy in her lap. Tears of relief suddenly filled my eyes, and I smiled. "Thank god," I said, sitting up. Satine and Maddy pulled me into a big hug and I'd never felt so relieved before. "I had the worst dream." 


End file.
